Nodes & Verification
Run a Bitcoin full node and stop asking anyone what the chain says — you check. Node software, block explorers you can self-host, and friendly server OSes that make running one practical.
4 tools · last updated 2026-06-12
Bitcoin Core
free · open sourceBitcoin Core is the reference full-node software for Bitcoin. It downloads and independently verifies the entire blockchain on your own hardware, so you never have to ask an exchange or block explorer what the ledger says — you check it yourself. It needs several hundred gigabytes of disk and patience for the initial sync, but every other rung builds on it.
Mempool.space
free · open sourceMempool.space is an open-source Bitcoin block explorer and fee estimator. The hosted site is the easy way to check a transaction; self-hosting it against your own node means you can verify any payment without trusting a third-party website or API. For a business accepting Bitcoin, a self-hosted instance turns "did the payment confirm?" into a question you answer yourself.
StartOS
free · open sourceStartOS, from Start9, is an open-source operating system for running your own server: a Bitcoin node, Lightning, password managers, and other personal infrastructure, installed and updated from a simple app-store interface. Compared to renting cloud services, your data and your node live on hardware in your house. You provide the machine and accept light maintenance duties in exchange.
Umbrel
free · open sourceUmbrel is a friendly operating system for a home server that runs a Bitcoin node, a Lightning node, and dozens of other self-hosted apps from an app-store interface. It turns "I should run a node" into an afternoon project on a Raspberry Pi or spare machine. The polish costs some transparency: parts of the project are source-available rather than fully open.
Frequently asked questions
- What do I need to run a Bitcoin node?
- A computer with a 1TB SSD, 4–8GB of RAM, and an unmetered internet connection — the blockchain is over 600GB and still growing. That can be a spare laptop, a Raspberry Pi with an external drive, or a dedicated mini PC running Bitcoin Core directly or a node OS like Umbrel or StartOS. The real cost is patience: the initial sync takes days on modest hardware.
- Can I run a Bitcoin node on a Raspberry Pi?
- Yes — a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 8GB of RAM plus an external 1TB SSD is one of the most common node setups; Umbrel was originally designed around it. Two caveats: the initial sync can take a week or more on Pi hardware, and running the blockchain from a microSD card doesn't work — the SSD isn't optional. A used mini PC costs about the same and syncs faster.
- What is the difference between running a node and mining?
- A node verifies; a miner produces. Running a node means your computer independently checks every block and transaction against Bitcoin's rules, so you never have to trust an exchange's or explorer's version of the ledger. Mining is a separate industrial business — specialized hardware competing for block rewards, viable only with cheap electricity. Nodes earn nothing, and that's the point: you run one for verification, not income.
- Should I run a Lightning node?
- Only if you want to send and receive Lightning payments on infrastructure you control — not for routing fees, which on a small node typically round to nothing after channel costs. A Lightning node needs a full Bitcoin node underneath it, has to stay online around the clock, and managing channel liquidity is real ongoing work. Node OSes like Umbrel and StartOS make setup one-click; the maintenance stays yours either way.